tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49074981031834368542018-01-13T13:59:03.530-08:00Dee B TeesDee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-85255337567051656682018-01-13T13:59:00.000-08:002018-01-13T13:59:03.635-08:00A couple of commission quilts from workBecause I've donated quilts at work for raffles and United Way many people know that I make T-Shirt quilts.&nbsp; I'll frequently get questions about how much it would cost.&nbsp; Usually I quote a price, they look surprised then say thanks, but no thanks.&nbsp; But on occasion they appreciate the work that goes into the quilt and ask when I can start.&nbsp;<br /><br />This first quilt was for a co-worker's daughter who had recently graduated from high school.&nbsp; I made it on a similar plan, using columns of the same sized blocks, arranged with color and subjects randomly scattered.&nbsp;<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Foj0OEn2sOY/Wlp_1j86OCI/AAAAAAAAFjQ/Q9uTWCCbNis_zCplFgjMz-qACDp3dsFtgCKgBGAs/s1600/20170709_232034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1030" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Foj0OEn2sOY/Wlp_1j86OCI/AAAAAAAAFjQ/Q9uTWCCbNis_zCplFgjMz-qACDp3dsFtgCKgBGAs/s320/20170709_232034.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And this was an unusual request.&nbsp; My co-worker and her husband are long time season ticket holders for the Dallas Cowboys.&nbsp; She had a collection of the towels they give out at the games and wanted me to make a quilt for her husband for his birthday.&nbsp; I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but agree to try.&nbsp; I didn't use any interfacing.&nbsp; And the sewing room looked like it had snowed from all the little bits of towel fluff, but it turned out well, largely because of the fun Dallas Cowboy fabric she found for the sashing. I quilted it with stars, just to keep with the theme.&nbsp; She tells me he loves the quilt and won't let their little dog lay on it just in case it thinks of chewing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ku37XlHJqXQ/WlqAmlWzNpI/AAAAAAAAFjc/fGZZVFc5nWkXjtRyJUP78aYET1423jptQCKgBGAs/s1600/20170905_082030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1461" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ku37XlHJqXQ/WlqAmlWzNpI/AAAAAAAAFjc/fGZZVFc5nWkXjtRyJUP78aYET1423jptQCKgBGAs/s320/20170905_082030.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-80683530132503035922017-11-04T06:48:00.001-07:002017-11-04T06:48:51.294-07:00Air National Guard challengeAfter the presentation of the music camp quilt, one of the church members asked if I ever made T-shirt quilts for others.&nbsp; Cautiously I said, "sometimes".&nbsp; Mostly because I've gotten those requests before from people who think it takes me a handful of hours, worth $50 or less.&nbsp; When he said how much and didn't bat an eye when I told him my base rate, I agreed.&nbsp; This was to be a retirement gift for his commending officer in the Texas Air National Guard.<br /><br />A few weeks later he brought me a bag of t-shirts, and asked that it be large ("king sized").&nbsp; The only problem was most of the shirts only had pocket sized emblems.&nbsp; How in the world was I going to make this large?&nbsp; Well I needed large sashing to start with, so I determined to use the shadow box idea, where it looks like the block is floating above the surface.&nbsp; But this wasn't even going to come close.&nbsp; A week later he brought me a few more and I asked him was there any chance of getting shirts with large pictures?&nbsp; We talked and I thought of putting something large in the center, with the small emblems around the edge.&nbsp; He asked if I could put the name of their division and showed me one of the shirts had the information needed.&nbsp; Definitely, that would work.&nbsp; So I took a picture of the wording on the shirt, printed it out and traced the lettering onto another sheet, then blew it up again.&nbsp; Using Steam a seam II I cut out the lettering from some mottled black fabric that I was using for the shadows.&nbsp; I almost forgot to reverse the tracing, fortunately as I was about to start cutting I noticed the problem and was able to pull off the backing sheet and flip it over.&nbsp; I would have been so irritated had I cut all those letters out backwards! Sometimes my brain does kick in to gear in time.<br /><br />Before I fused them down I laid out the blocks I had to see what sort of arrangement made sense.&nbsp; I only had 4 large pictures and several small ones.&nbsp; I had decided to use some denim colored fabric I had purchased as wide backing material.&nbsp; I had several long pieces left from trimming a couple of other quilts that worked perfectly and another largish size for the center that wasn't big enough for more backing&nbsp;(yeah, repurposed).&nbsp; The black I had purchased a bolt when a LQS was going out of business, so the only thing to purchase was the batting and backing, which ended up being extra wide flannel on sale, total materials purchased was less than $30, everything else was scraps from my scrap bin or stash.&nbsp; <br /><br />When the blocks were laid out with a large center section reserved for the letters I had an odd space for one more small block.&nbsp; Hey, why not make an airplane block.&nbsp; So I went searching through my various books, then the internet for something I liked.&nbsp; I found a quilt online that I felt didn't look too juvenile, snipped it, resized and&nbsp;traced to make a paper pieced block.&nbsp; The inspiration quilt also had some blocks that looked like propellers that I also liked so I made some of those too.&nbsp; For the lettering I decided not to zig zag stitch around each, but instead just straight stitched near the edge.&nbsp; The fusible material is permanent but I wanted to be sure they wouldn't come lose.&nbsp; After washing the edges made a nice little fuzzy edge that went well with the denim background.<br /><br />So here is the finished quilt.&nbsp; It won't be presented until early December, but the person who commissioned it was thrilled.&nbsp; It turned out about 90x100, not king size but large enough.&nbsp; I was tickled, when I showed him a picture of the quilt before it was finished, he asked how I was going to sew the blocks down.&nbsp; He thought they were floating loose, how's that for a good optical illusion!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-53MNF9w4SXo/Wf3EngH74sI/AAAAAAAAFHo/zHvLuZ8KbJsKJoMgvCFFaKJ-h87VDMgdgCKgBGAs/s1600/20171008_174825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1415" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-53MNF9w4SXo/Wf3EngH74sI/AAAAAAAAFHo/zHvLuZ8KbJsKJoMgvCFFaKJ-h87VDMgdgCKgBGAs/s320/20171008_174825.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-40798520469285328582017-07-29T22:44:00.002-07:002017-07-29T22:44:23.788-07:00MusiCamp quiltEvery year for the last 16 years the music minister and his wife have conducted a music camp at our church during the summer break. &nbsp;The culmination of the camp is a wonderful musical production the final night. &nbsp;They are very talented and very committed to the kids and the camp is a big event in our church life.<br />A few weeks ago one of the ladies who participated in the camp came to ask if I would make a quilt from the shirts from the camps. &nbsp;She was able to locate a shirt from each of the 16 years. &nbsp;I decided to try a pattern I had seen previously and wanted to try. &nbsp;The wide sashing uses black and white fabric, both with musical notes. <br />Each of the shirts had a similar size design and a pocket size logo with the name and date on it, all except one. &nbsp;For that one I pulled out my very old very basic embroidery machine and replicated the information on a scrap of the fabric. &nbsp; It turned out well enough that it isn't obvious. &nbsp;This pattern worked very well with the two sizes, though because of the large sashing the quilt turned out very large, almost full size. &nbsp;I wanted some kind of border that would complement the pattern and decided on large blocks of color picked from the black fabric pattern. &nbsp;It frames the quilt well and makes the over all pattern very happy. &nbsp;This quilt was almost as much fun as making an I spy quilt, love the bright cheerful colors.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_hAxJqpl-fg/WVvNbuSLNII/AAAAAAAAEag/3iDxm-CHCUIuQdies5M_X3E6TXiL1CwCQCKgBGAs/s1600/20170611_084708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1543" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_hAxJqpl-fg/WVvNbuSLNII/AAAAAAAAEag/3iDxm-CHCUIuQdies5M_X3E6TXiL1CwCQCKgBGAs/s640/20170611_084708.jpg" width="616" /></a></div><br /><br />We plan to present the quilt on the final night of the show this year, at the end of July. &nbsp;I will post this after it is presented. &nbsp;I don't want to take any chances that they might see it on the web, you never know.<br /><br />The presentation was last night after the performance.&nbsp; It was so fun to see Stacy's reaction when she realized what it was.&nbsp; She had been talking earlier in the week about asking me to make one in a few more years when they had a nice round 20 shirts.&nbsp; Oh well, a few years early.&nbsp; Love that smiling face!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMxMWw5Iwps/WX1yGzWVf0I/AAAAAAAAEkk/Ahs5c-dpY607mhyToSavqa0dayrr50ogwCKgBGAs/s1600/20170728_205915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMxMWw5Iwps/WX1yGzWVf0I/AAAAAAAAEkk/Ahs5c-dpY607mhyToSavqa0dayrr50ogwCKgBGAs/s320/20170728_205915.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-81950267970184367042017-07-04T10:08:00.001-07:002017-07-04T10:08:08.978-07:00Aggie quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This quilt was made for a co-worker for her son who is headed to Texas A&amp;M in the fall. &nbsp;She fell in love with the Aggie fabric and wanted to use it for the sashing. &nbsp;It was a challenge to work with as I wanted to make sure it was straight and the pattern repeated appropriately. &nbsp;That added significant time and required more than the usual 2 yards. &nbsp;But she is happy with the result. &nbsp;It's too busy for my taste but as long as he likes it, that is what is important.<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8OFP9-0F_sk/WVvK8WTvGeI/AAAAAAAAEac/SHqT0raHPsUFCo4JTbwZOmceGDps-T-HgCKgBGAs/s1600/20170523_213139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1289" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8OFP9-0F_sk/WVvK8WTvGeI/AAAAAAAAEac/SHqT0raHPsUFCo4JTbwZOmceGDps-T-HgCKgBGAs/s640/20170523_213139.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><br />Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-3029300189946788232017-07-04T10:04:00.001-07:002017-07-04T10:04:56.354-07:00Remembrance quiltSeveral times I have participated in my company's Time and Talent auction for United Way. &nbsp;Last year a co-worker won the auction and I made the theater quilt for her daughter. &nbsp;This year another co-worker wanted me to make a quilt from her deceased husband's shirts. &nbsp;He had died in a car crash over 10 years ago when her two daughters were very small. &nbsp;She had remarried a widower and together they have raised a large family. &nbsp;But she still had this box of shirts. &nbsp;She brought them to me along with a couple of ball caps, his military fatigues and fireman's uniform. &nbsp;I had some misgivings about cutting into these things. &nbsp;Definitely the emotional attachment was higher than in any other quilt I've made.<br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mAGMGqlkoXY/WVvJNWpEszI/AAAAAAAAEaY/D5xK_MgRMTI5yExt9AVXW0yjaKlSjScjwCKgBGAs/s1600/20170515_221143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1303" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mAGMGqlkoXY/WVvJNWpEszI/AAAAAAAAEaY/D5xK_MgRMTI5yExt9AVXW0yjaKlSjScjwCKgBGAs/s640/20170515_221143.jpg" width="520" /></a><br />&nbsp;She decided to use thin denim as sashing, supplemented by a couple of plaid shirts. &nbsp;I was able to find some flannel similar to the shirts to use as the backing. &nbsp;I used medium loft poly batting since with the denim the quilt was very heavy and I felt the poly wouldn't add as much weight as cotton. &nbsp;Another co-worker who is in the marine reserves advised me on the proper way to display the name and US Marines from the fatigues. &nbsp; I removed the patches from the fireman's uniform and disassembled the caps. &nbsp;The only place I had difficulty quilting was the patches so I went around them. &nbsp;The batting gave a nice puffy result with large looping quilting. &nbsp;The quilt is still very heavy but not excessively so. &nbsp;With the left over fabric from the plaid shirts I was able to make a pillow case. &nbsp;She tells me her two daughters are trading off, one gets the quilt for a while and the other gets the pillow case. &nbsp;The family is happy with the result and I am pleased with how it turned out.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-24679735755140778312017-04-02T15:50:00.002-07:002017-04-02T15:50:51.103-07:00A great idea for when you aren't trying to squeeze in a lot of t-shirtsDisclaimer.&nbsp; This isn't my design.&nbsp;&nbsp;I ran across it on Facebook.&nbsp; <br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--WQxfFHfPk8/WOF-PEIjLyI/AAAAAAAAEEs/-wEuzUNTIcIAkeicQdtvxc_5Lb5FJvOxQCKgB/s1600/Screenshot_20160816-230058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--WQxfFHfPk8/WOF-PEIjLyI/AAAAAAAAEEs/-wEuzUNTIcIAkeicQdtvxc_5Lb5FJvOxQCKgB/s320/Screenshot_20160816-230058.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But to me to looks like the BQ3 Pattern by Maple Island Quilts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OvQwK2838jc/WOF_oRfpYKI/AAAAAAAAEE8/wljdZz5COiYA8NTYUJOsFaOSzYyP5CpdgCLcB/s1600/bq3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OvQwK2838jc/WOF_oRfpYKI/AAAAAAAAEE8/wljdZz5COiYA8NTYUJOsFaOSzYyP5CpdgCLcB/s200/bq3.JPG" width="125" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It really does make a nice design for a t-shirt quilt, utilizing the small patches that are frequently on the front of many shirts.&nbsp; I haven't tried it yet - most of the time I'm trying to squeeze in as many shirts as possible.&nbsp; But the first opportunity I want to give this one a try.</div>Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-77236458276183912922016-12-28T06:47:00.001-08:002017-03-08T20:03:12.619-08:00Theater QuiltThis quilt was made for a friend at work for her daughter as a Christmas present. &nbsp;The mom spent a lot of time and effort gathering t-shirts from teachers, directors, friends as well as cast photos and printing them on fabric. &nbsp;It turned out really great and is extra special because of all the time and effort she put into it. &nbsp;She said her daughter cried when she opened it - which is of course the best feedback.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kHPq5mlE1fs/WGPQa644xUI/AAAAAAAADdk/m35gnj8pCPsjpHQ4QVRbBW7IB1ZOuNzYQCKgB/s1600/IMG_8774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kHPq5mlE1fs/WGPQa644xUI/AAAAAAAADdk/m35gnj8pCPsjpHQ4QVRbBW7IB1ZOuNzYQCKgB/s320/IMG_8774.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vzvOqI6xaW0/WMDT9zArELI/AAAAAAAADv0/VOlrL_FDSXw2Is2QmZjgCKDn1vbj7AJ4gCKgB/s1600/20161212_211807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vzvOqI6xaW0/WMDT9zArELI/AAAAAAAADv0/VOlrL_FDSXw2Is2QmZjgCKDn1vbj7AJ4gCKgB/s320/20161212_211807.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-25239582417136492712016-10-19T06:55:00.001-07:002016-10-19T06:55:20.104-07:00And a few more<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is technically a Onsie quilt instead of a t-shirt, but it's a similar idea. &nbsp;I did add several novelty fabrics to fill in since as you know, Onsies are kind of small. <a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zqGxRA-FrzI/WAd4jKbfvXI/AAAAAAAADIc/8_3d5egYK3MjjUbnHZUVw3WI3hqrJT9fgCKgB/s1600/20161010_204229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zqGxRA-FrzI/WAd4jKbfvXI/AAAAAAAADIc/8_3d5egYK3MjjUbnHZUVw3WI3hqrJT9fgCKgB/s320/20161010_204229.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One more T-shirt. &nbsp;This one the mom requested I used white and silver for the sashing. &nbsp;I was worried about how that would look but it turned out ok after all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4USc5azVWE/WAd7OqtXqWI/AAAAAAAADIk/BOkSz7EYo5UGSObMAFeulUUokiIRfH0WACLcB/s1600/Cam%2527s%2Btshirt%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4USc5azVWE/WAd7OqtXqWI/AAAAAAAADIk/BOkSz7EYo5UGSObMAFeulUUokiIRfH0WACLcB/s320/Cam%2527s%2Btshirt%2B2.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-57677731835872431412016-10-18T20:25:00.002-07:002016-10-18T20:35:15.859-07:00Several more work quiltsSince I made my first raffle quilt at work, I've had several requests to make additional T-shirt quilts from work related t-shirts.&nbsp; I made another raffle quilt for a yearly charity.&nbsp; Then a co-worker who was leaving the company and&nbsp;moving to another city.&nbsp; And anther for a co-worker's milestone anniversary.&nbsp; For the sashing on the first two I found a dark blue fabric with an atlas print which is particularly appropriate given the company is an importer of world-wide decorative items.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LoibxwFgYVo/WAba12Ol0kI/AAAAAAAADFQ/yozN24AUjYMSHZgWISDEx8yZ_qSbvU-GQCPcB/s1600/Pier%2B1%2Btshirt%2B2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LoibxwFgYVo/WAba12Ol0kI/AAAAAAAADFQ/yozN24AUjYMSHZgWISDEx8yZ_qSbvU-GQCPcB/s320/Pier%2B1%2Btshirt%2B2014.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QYa3C9A_FuQ/WAba3XgGnhI/AAAAAAAADFY/0660PoMC4jo_4zMQtHnjz47y1WZfHerGACPcB/s1600/Sheryl%2527s%2Bt-shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QYa3C9A_FuQ/WAba3XgGnhI/AAAAAAAADFY/0660PoMC4jo_4zMQtHnjz47y1WZfHerGACPcB/s320/Sheryl%2527s%2Bt-shirt.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtqTsH7s8sU/WAba54_MeQI/AAAAAAAADFo/UcsiSQdfJSgBMRZixzZmG-uE2o4rCDB4gCPcB/s1600/Sheryl%2Bwith%2Bt-shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtqTsH7s8sU/WAba54_MeQI/AAAAAAAADFo/UcsiSQdfJSgBMRZixzZmG-uE2o4rCDB4gCPcB/s320/Sheryl%2Bwith%2Bt-shirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q2IXRTd3eeA/WAba8FVVvAI/AAAAAAAADF0/N9xm9zuoqhQF4soQtrQ-No20f1ycbgt-QCPcB/s1600/rachel%2527s%2Bt%2Bshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q2IXRTd3eeA/WAba8FVVvAI/AAAAAAAADF0/N9xm9zuoqhQF4soQtrQ-No20f1ycbgt-QCPcB/s320/rachel%2527s%2Bt%2Bshirt.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Yirua6P-Bs/WAba8RFtLaI/AAAAAAAADF4/DGfKWLVpXJADDPPc9oRHfTickhS_aQwXACPcB/s1600/rachel%2B%2526%2Bher%2Bquilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Yirua6P-Bs/WAba8RFtLaI/AAAAAAAADF4/DGfKWLVpXJADDPPc9oRHfTickhS_aQwXACPcB/s320/rachel%2B%2526%2Bher%2Bquilt.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-6124721203463694312016-10-18T20:11:00.000-07:002016-10-18T20:32:02.215-07:00Variations on a theme and something completely differentAs mentioned previously I've tended to approach these quilts fairly consistently since the idea is to showcase the shirts (and the related memories).&nbsp; Most of the time I've not been trying to make an artistic statement.&nbsp; And most of the time there hasn't been a lot of time.&nbsp; <br /><br />This particular quilt is a bit of an anomaly.&nbsp; A sweet quilting friend had started the quilt as a commission but then became ill.&nbsp; She asked if I would be willing to finish it for her. It was fun to complete her vision and work with her fun bright colors.&nbsp; The shirts were a bit odd, a legal professional group and all the same.&nbsp; But that's ok.&nbsp; It still turned out fun and the owner was happy.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-92RgSYAKfd4/WAbasYQ1OHI/AAAAAAAADF8/DJ2pNQTZc9coxp_Uifr1kg7lVWKtfltJQCPcB/s1600/revised%2BJonna%2Bt-shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-92RgSYAKfd4/WAbasYQ1OHI/AAAAAAAADF8/DJ2pNQTZc9coxp_Uifr1kg7lVWKtfltJQCPcB/s320/revised%2BJonna%2Bt-shirt.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A word about quilting.&nbsp; My first t-shirt quilt I was very worried that the thread would fray if I sewed through the plastic of the t-shirt transfer too often, so I did my best to not sew through large areas.&nbsp; I also quilted words into the quilt.&nbsp; But this one was for my special daughter.&nbsp; Subsequent quilts I decided the quilting wasn't going to show much and started doing all-over doodle type quilting.&nbsp; It does make a fun pattern on the back of the quilt.&nbsp; This is one of my favorites.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P-mOUGxaZeo/WAbatwxYGuI/AAAAAAAADF8/g_XswTxdhXA6-r_WMMfRVnsoGiTfVnMswCPcB/s1600/Denise%2Bt-shirt%2Bdetail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P-mOUGxaZeo/WAbatwxYGuI/AAAAAAAADF8/g_XswTxdhXA6-r_WMMfRVnsoGiTfVnMswCPcB/s320/Denise%2Bt-shirt%2Bdetail.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This quilt was made for another friend of my daughter's.&nbsp; The young lady's sister liked her quilt so much, she asked me to made a couple of baby t-shirt quilts from her daughters' onesies.&nbsp; </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RY88aG5Dm-E/WAbawAsGFpI/AAAAAAAADF8/7XzFt1wWrG42QQOL89UQZg_tZVDNQgpmACPcB/s1600/Denise%2Bt-shirt%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RY88aG5Dm-E/WAbawAsGFpI/AAAAAAAADF8/7XzFt1wWrG42QQOL89UQZg_tZVDNQgpmACPcB/s320/Denise%2Bt-shirt%2B2.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br />This quilt was made for a woman at my church from her father's t-shirts after his sudden death.&nbsp; Only 4 of the shirts had transfers on them, so I used the remaining shirts as large color blocks.&nbsp; I was concerned at first when I realized so few of the shirts had patterns, but I was pleased with how it turned out.&nbsp; And I know the family loves the quilt and the remembrance of the dad and grandfather.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vf5QbGKm9lE/WAbaw9qoiqI/AAAAAAAADF8/Q8Y9t5MOen8YJZudSVFEe8t5wuyATB4IQCPcB/s1600/Andrea%2527s%2Bdad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vf5QbGKm9lE/WAbaw9qoiqI/AAAAAAAADF8/Q8Y9t5MOen8YJZudSVFEe8t5wuyATB4IQCPcB/s320/Andrea%2527s%2Bdad.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />I made this quilt as a graduation present for a young woman who liked to collect odd shirts and liked super heroes.&nbsp; Her mom brought me 3 grocery sacks of t-shirts and told me to just pick the ones I wanted.&nbsp; I think that was the hardest part of this quilt, decided which shirts to pick without knowing which ones she would like.&nbsp; I won't do that again!&nbsp; In the spirit of the silly shirts, I used the wildest random fabrics I had in my stash for the sashing and borders, fabrics I hadn't been able to figure out how to use.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KWNDhb4N9x4/WAba0rvXb4I/AAAAAAAADF8/bwyX9mBhi9U8njHoGeWyUEU-L8UH2wc6gCPcB/s1600/Alayna%2527s%2Bdetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KWNDhb4N9x4/WAba0rvXb4I/AAAAAAAADF8/bwyX9mBhi9U8njHoGeWyUEU-L8UH2wc6gCPcB/s320/Alayna%2527s%2Bdetail.jpg" width="268" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tSk-su5JXR4/WAbazF6Wp8I/AAAAAAAADF8/EE0qFZLXpREgJoPjpzbdDZEs3ogIXlUjACPcB/s1600/Alayna%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tSk-su5JXR4/WAbazF6Wp8I/AAAAAAAADF8/EE0qFZLXpREgJoPjpzbdDZEs3ogIXlUjACPcB/s320/Alayna%2527s.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This quilt was made using a mixture of t-shirts and sports jerseys.&nbsp; The jersey fabric was a little tricky to use.I discovered some of the numbers weren't fused too well and I had to figure out how to get them to stick without melting.&nbsp; Which brings up a good reminder - DO NOT IRON on the front of the t-shirt without protecting the transfer - parchment paper works well (the kitchen kind).&nbsp; For the sashing, the owner and I selected a dark gray marbled fabric that accented the yellow and red with black in the shirts.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GAu4psobTY4/WAba4Cw2ziI/AAAAAAAADFc/T263vZ1H8mIQ3fTPHJWEjTnrrHo3IJyAQCPcB/s1600/Trenton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GAu4psobTY4/WAba4Cw2ziI/AAAAAAAADFc/T263vZ1H8mIQ3fTPHJWEjTnrrHo3IJyAQCPcB/s320/Trenton.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trenton's quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div>Dee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907498103183436854.post-9468060670221857912016-10-18T19:49:00.002-07:002016-10-18T19:49:54.472-07:00Getting StartedAs time goes on, I'm making more and more T-shirt quilts for friends, family, friends of family, family of friends, etc.&nbsp; Every time I start a new one or are discussing a new one with the owner, I wish I had&nbsp;central location to keep pictures, to use as a reference.&nbsp;So that is the purpose of this blog.&nbsp; Pretty simple and hopefully useful as time goes on.<br />So here we go:<br /><br />This is Marion's quilt, for my daughter.&nbsp; It contains approx. 20 years worth of church related activities.&nbsp; Preschool, vacation bible school, youth camp, etc.&nbsp; I was able to squeeze in an amazing number of shirts, but I've been more judicious since.&nbsp; I also made this one with an old Winnie the Pooh sheet for the backing and a cotton batting.&nbsp; And it is VERY heavy.&nbsp; I've switched to using fleece backing since this first one and like it much better.&nbsp; Fewer layers and helps the quilt drape better too.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2YS9SMbWVUc/WAbampjS-_I/AAAAAAAADEc/DmfzpmRINsoNga8WS_ecsyiCkp3rZfkgwCPcB/s1600/Marion%2Bt-shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2YS9SMbWVUc/WAbampjS-_I/AAAAAAAADEc/DmfzpmRINsoNga8WS_ecsyiCkp3rZfkgwCPcB/s320/Marion%2Bt-shirt.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marion's Quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;I learned a lot on Marion's quilt, all self taught.&nbsp; I determined it worked best to use a light weight, woven, fusible backing.&nbsp; I&nbsp;purchase a bolt&nbsp;with a 40% or 50% off coupon or else get it on sale.&nbsp; I also discovered most t-shirts are roughly the same width.&nbsp; The ones that aren't, I add some extra sashing to get them to a standard width.&nbsp;&nbsp; Grouping the t-shirt blocks into columns simplifies the construction significantly. </div><br />Holly's New York quilt, made for one of my daughter's friends, reflects her love of travel with her family and her love of dance.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_gOLkqy7b4s/WAbaoM4bELI/AAAAAAAADEg/kLJ3hWm6klcQBuNR-ecJDrNrXZ60xth9ACPcB/s1600/Hollys%2Btshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_gOLkqy7b4s/WAbaoM4bELI/AAAAAAAADEg/kLJ3hWm6klcQBuNR-ecJDrNrXZ60xth9ACPcB/s320/Hollys%2Btshirt.jpg" title="Holly's New York Quilt" width="290" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly's New York Quilt</td></tr></tbody></table>Jessica's quilt was made for another friend of my daughter (noticing a trend here).&nbsp; Jessica is one of my "second daughters", an honorary member of our family.&nbsp; I fully expect Jessica will help take care of me when I'm old and decrepit. How's that for a happy face, I love pictures of my quilts with their new owners!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oi6N5A9DbMs/WAbaqryv7tI/AAAAAAAADEo/TKNyvLFg_YEYUz5Vv2-DkAK0Lu4YFX07gCPcB/s1600/Jessica%2527s%2Bt-shirt%2Bquilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oi6N5A9DbMs/WAbaqryv7tI/AAAAAAAADEo/TKNyvLFg_YEYUz5Vv2-DkAK0Lu4YFX07gCPcB/s320/Jessica%2527s%2Bt-shirt%2Bquilt.jpg" width="231" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1NMP7f94z0I/WAbarcxtfKI/AAAAAAAADEs/xJTHdkJY5gARL4WPi2Rf5ygUQEO5SGvtACPcB/s1600/Jessica%2527s%2Bt-shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1NMP7f94z0I/WAbarcxtfKI/AAAAAAAADEs/xJTHdkJY5gARL4WPi2Rf5ygUQEO5SGvtACPcB/s320/Jessica%2527s%2Bt-shirt.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />1st Raffle quilt for fund raiser at work.&nbsp; For this quilt I asked co-workers to donate t-shirts received at work. The raffle raised several hundred dollars and the quilt is now proudly displayed in my boss's office.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IXlFf9DRm4A/WAbapWf-kfI/AAAAAAAADEk/qRyBxJxpKAsQ550Dd76fcMA7TJPatO3JwCPcB/s1600/Pier%2B1%2Btshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IXlFf9DRm4A/WAbapWf-kfI/AAAAAAAADEk/qRyBxJxpKAsQ550Dd76fcMA7TJPatO3JwCPcB/s320/Pier%2B1%2Btshirt.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br /><br />&nbsp;You may have noticed by this point, I have used a certain black with multi colored dots as the sashing and borders.&nbsp; I have also bought this fabric by the bolt.&nbsp; It works so well with the multi-colored t-shirts as well as the novelty I spy quilts I love to make.&nbsp; The intent of the sashing is to frame and provide a background to the shirts.&nbsp; The black works well, though I've used others on occasion.<br /><br />This seems a good place to break - stay tunedDee Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14952442158215676602noreply@blogger.com1